Ichigo and His Hollow The Quest For Power
by DarkWarr
Summary: Ichigo, Hollow, Zangetsu, and the ultimate power clash. 7 chapters, hope you enjoy smile Tell me how I can improve and what else you'd like to see. God bless y'all!
1. The Start

"Yo!" the Hollow called out to Ichigo, the leer on his face clearly an attempt to be something close to that of a friendly smile, "What does the king desire?"

"More power," Ichigo replied simply, the clouds on his right flowing downward to the endless expanse of the sky. This was his inner world, a city turned on it's side. There was no need to adjust, nor to look, because he knew this place like the back of his hand. No need to re-orientate, just a need to focus on the man clad in white robes before him, who drew forth a cleaver.

Zangetsu, his zanpakuto.

His hand flew to his back and attempted to draw the ghost of the sword, and turned around in shock. His back was bear, and he wasn't even granted a katana! No blade, no weapons...

"The king desires more horse-power?" cackled the Hollow manically, his yellow eyes piercing, literally, the very soul of Ichigo, "You know, I could always lend you my full power. If only you let me take over as king,"

"That," Ichigo shot back, turning to face his negative self, "Will never happen,"

"Very well..." the Hollow sighed, the smile never leaving his face, "Then I suppose I'll have to throw you off your throne!" Ichigo was hurled off the roof before he could respond, and fell down the endless shaft, trapped between the skyscrapers and the sky itself. The irony of it all lost to him, Ichigo fell frantically and yelled throughout his fall, his eyes widening in fear as his Hollow self appeared over the edge in Bankai form, the white daito gripped in his right hand, and cackling all the way.

"What's wrong my king?" he called after Ichigo, "Lost your footing? Let me pull you up!" The Hollow threw Tensa Zangetsu at Ichigo, the black blade threatening to pierce his heart. Ichigo twisted at the last second and gripped the hilt, only to be jerked along as his inner demon pulled the sword back.

"Going up?" cackled the Hollow as the King flew up to him, "Or blasting down?" His right hand holding the chain of the daito, he held his left hand up before him, a ball of energy forming, ready to blast Ichigo into oblivion. Gripping the hilt desperately, blood began to seep through his skin, but Ichigo ignored the blood, his focus entirely on the task ahead: Avoiding that blast. His head connected with the hand.

"Die!" called out the Hollow gleefully as the blast was set loose, but Ichigo spun, using the sword as a life-line, and pulled himself out of the way. Now below the Hollow, Ichigo lashed out and kicked the back of the Hollow, his grip never loosening from the daito. The daito that was his ticket to victory. The blast continued onwards and went on in front of the two falling combatants, the buildings flying past unnoticed.

The Hollow cried out in surprise and anger, whirling around and attempting to smash Ichigo's skull with the ball of his right foot, yanking on his weapon's chain, attempting to retrieve it at the same time. Ichigo smiled and with a quick yank, pulled himself up, avoiding the blow and putting some slack on the chain, allowing him to swing the blade at the Hollow's face, which was promptly given a shallow cut. A howl of rage broke from the Hollow's lips as the smile on his face disappeared for the first time, and he smashed his fist into Ichigo's face, flowing through the movement and spinning around, drawing the daito in a wide arc, Ichigo following with his fingers barely holding on. The Hollow spun two full revolutions before slamming the weapon into the building they had just fallen past, and burying the teenager into the building. The Hollow yanked on the chain and flew upward onto the building, landing with a satisfied smirk on his face.

"Only one of us may wield Zangetsu, my lord," the demon called out in a mocking voice, the smile on his face evidently avoiding the cut sharing the face, "And if it doesn't belong to you, then it belongs to me! All that is yours is rightfully mine, Ichigo! And since you know not how to use your power, you lose! And so mine shall it all be!" The Hollow cackled and tugged on the chain...

Only to have the rest of the chain follow, without the sword intact.

_What?!_

The hole in the building splintered outwards and Ichigo flew out, Zangetsu gleaming in his hands. He landed several meters away from his negative self and smirked, drawing the elegant cleaver up and resting it on his shoulder.

"Shikai!" cried out the Hollow, "Only shikai! Only that power! Ichigo, you cannot summon the full strength of Zangetsu while I hold _this_!" The demon held out his right fist, clutching the chain of Tensa Zangetsu.

"Oh, is that yours, Zangetsu?" Ichigo asked his cleaver casually, "Would you like it back from this creep?" The chain vanished from the demon's hand with a flash and appeared in Ichigo's hand. "Here you go, old man," smirked the Shinigami representative, seeming to drive the chain into the blade of the cleaver, which appeared to liquify, "Your chain back,"

_Impossible_! thought the Hollow desperately, wondering what could have gone wrong. He was king in this realm, not Ichigo! Why, Zangetsu? Why the shift in power?

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_The old man Zangetsu stood before Ichigo in the building._

_"Have you found your resolve?"_

_"Yes,"_

_"Then why do you fight?"_

_"To protect those who are close to me,"_

_"Then is it not true," replied the incarnated blade, "That you seek battle?"_

_"No, I mean..." Ichigo stumbled for a moment, caught by the complexity of the question, "I do seek battle, but not for the joy of it. I seek battle to become stronger, to protect my friends. I fight to protect,"_

_"And you fight to fight," Zangetsu did not ask, but state._

_"No," Ichigo stood firm, "I'm not a berserker, I don't fight for the lust of battle. I have a purpose!"_

_"As do berserkers, and their purpose is to fight," noted the old man, his voice always calm._

_"No!" Ichigo cried out, "You don't understand!"_

_"I do understand, Ichigo," Zangetsu said, causing Ichigo to be taken aback, "I am part of you, as is the Hollow. We are a part of you, we understand you better than anyone else. The question is: Do you understand yourself?"_

_Ichigo was stunned, unable to speak. Could it be true? Was he truly a berserker like Zaraki Kenpachi? Forever lusting for battle, simply for the joy and thrill of the fight?_

_"Find the answer in battle, Kurosaki," said the old man Zangetsu as he began to fade, "It is in battle where it is decided, for that is how you were made, to thrive in battle. You may wield me, Kurosaki Ichigo, to find yourself. When you know the answer, then you may attain true power,"_

_Zangetsu disppeared, and Ichigo glanced down at his right hand. The sharp gleam of Zangetsu the zanpakutou winking at him in the dark._


	2. The Realization

Edit: Thanks for the comments and suggestions to improve. Yea, I think everyone has a "Hollow" in each of us and we must make peace within ourselves. 

Anyways, this chapter may seem like a little gay toward the end, but if any of you has a close friend, you'll know what it's like to talk for hours. Ichigo and His Hollow are... err... Brothers? I dunno how to put it, but if you had a companion who WAS you and you could have a conversation with yourself... I think this is what would happen

So, if you guys want more, just let me know and I'll write more. I stopped watching Bleach after Grimmjow bashed up Ichigo in the Arrancar Arc so... plays with his thumbs

But I'll think of something P

Btw, this story takes place... At anytime you want it to take place. I just put the Orihime and Ishida conversation to let you have abit of material to build on. At the end of the day, I want you guys to use your imagination with my descriptions to come up with your own version of the story you enjoy ;)

Have fun reading!

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"Getsuga Tenshou!" The smirk on Ichigo's face disappeared, throwing Zangetsu over his shoulder and slamming it into the ground before him, a blast of energy erupting from the edge and bearing down on his Hollow self. The cleaver twisted in the building, flying up and around as Ichigo leapt into the air corkscrewing and bringing his weapon about him.

The demon growled and knocked the blast away aside with his hand like a pest and followed Ichigo up, his own cleaver flashing into his hand.

"You think you've won?" he cried out, enraged, "The Battle has only just begun! Only one of us can be King, Ichigo! And I won't lose to you, not again!"

A white cleaver formed in his hands and he lashed out at Ichigo, who spun and blocked the blow. The force of the strike was so great several buildings to the side collapsed from the spiritual pressure, the dust and debris flying up and hurling towards them. White blade met black as the two souls struggled to break the lock, their blades separating and uniting as one and the other struggled to land a blow. At times they simply broke the lock, banging on each other's weapon, trying to break the defence of the other half of their soul. Finally, a weary Ichigo lashed out with his right leg and caught his Hollow's cleaver on the flat side, leaping off and landing on a flying piece of debris, slashing out again, pouring his reiatsu into the blast.

"Getsuga Tenshou!"  
"Guroi Getsuga Tenshou!"  
The Hollow spun and slashed, his own black meeting Ichigo's white, disintegrating the building below them and all the flying debris…

Including the one Ichigo was standing on. Panicked, with no control over his flight, Ichigo did the only thing he could think of, a move so alien and foreign to him that he had to pause for a moment to go about executing it. He released Zangetsu and allowed the blade to trail out after him as he fell, grabbing on to the cloth that trailed out from the hilt. Pulling the cleaver to him, he spun Zangetsu above his head, the cloth the only link between him and his blade.  
The Hollow smiled as Ichigo pulled off the manoeuvre that was his, and did the same with his own blade, sending it flying after Ichigo and attempting to puncture him. Ichigo brought his spinning blade before him and allowed the blade to knock the white cleaver aside, throwing his own cleaver afterwards, _away_ from the demon.

_What?!_

The black cleaver caught the side of a nearby building and anchored there, allowing Ichigo to swing over and land safely on the building, pulling Zangetsu out of the building and spun, slashing sideways for the optimum attack. Pouring the last of his power into this final blast, Ichigo cried out and felt the approval of Zangetsu behind him.

"This is my purpose! This is my resolve! Getsuga Tenshou!"

The yellow eyes of the demon widened as he realized he had been tricked. His blade still trailed out before him, yet to be recalled, and he was left defenceless falling through the air. The blast came full force and slammed into the Hollow, breaking his ribs and shattering his confidence, following him into another building behind him, where it disintegrated, leaving a mangled albino in torn robes in the debris.

"Damn… You…" sputtered Ichigo's negative self, coughing up blood, "You got me…"

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"Is it over?"

_Hardly,_ Replied Zangetsu calmly, _All you've done is win the first bout. Congratulations, Ichigo, but you have yet to attain full power._

"So what do I do to get more power?" asked Ichigo, weary from his last battle and sitting on the side of the building, the clouds of his inner world still flowing vertically, upwards this time, into the unknown.  
_You must team up with your Hollow…_ Ichigo reeled at spun, facing the old man Zangetsu, _You must team up with him... To defeat me._

Reality hit hard as Ichigo realised what Zangetsu was implying.  
"We need to reach an understanding?" he cried out, outraged by the thought, "But he's a demon! He's a monster! He's just a copy of my self gone through a negative filter!"  
_After all that has transpired,_ replied Zangetsu, weariness creeping into his voice, _Do you honestly believe he is simply a demon?_

Ichigo stood there speechless, recalling all past memories of the Hollow, his negative self, his mirror image, the demon…

_He is simply yourself given a different perspective. He is your negative, your evil, and while certain qualities are enhanced or better shown in you, they are repressed in him. Likewise, the qualities he displays are the qualities that you repress. Arrogance, anger, and a lust for battle._

"So," Ichigo muttered, numb, "It simply means that every time I denied it… I was denying myself, I wasn't accepting who I was…"

_And that was what prevented you from attaining true power,_ finished Zangetsu, a smiled appearing on his face. _Now you understand… For your power to be complete, you must accept yourself. Not just the good, like you have been doing, but the bad as well. You must learn to accept him, as he has learnt to accept you._

"What?" Ichigo raised his head in shock, "What do you mean?"

_Do you not find it odd, that while he could easily kill you, he has never forcibly tried to take you over? He has always given you a fair chance in battle, until recently where his patience ran out. He has not only anger and arrogance, but also a deep longing for acceptance. Whether or not this is surpressed…_ Zangetsu allowed his words to sink in while a gob-smacked Ichigo stared at his feet. _You have been denying him a place in this world, denying him a place in you, where he rightfully belongs. Simply because the Hollow transformation gave him shape and form doesn't mean he wasn't there before. He was thrown out of you and has been trying to re-enter your world._

"Why?" Ichigo spat, "Why try? He seems to be doing just fine! What good reason could he possibly have for wanting to re-enter my soul? He has tried to kill me so many times, and is evil incarnate. He is a demon and a Hollow; he is everything I am not! What good reason could he possibly have?!" At the end of it all, he was yelling at the top of his voice.

_For the same reasons as you,_ replied Zangetsu simply, _To protect the ones he loves. To protect those important to him. You and I. And that is why he fights so hard, because he sees you as an imperfect fighter, unable to even protect yourself, let alone your friends or us. He feels he could do a better job than you._

Ichigo stumbled off, leaving his cleaver on the ground, and stared off the building and at the place where his Hollow was buried.

_So you see, Ichigo,_ continued Zangetsu, his voice never seeming to disappear,_ You two are more alike. You two are one and the same, just as I am a part of the two of you. The two of us are a part of your soul, and if you embrace one, you must embrace the other, or you will be incomplete._

Ichigo leapt off the building and flew toward the demon, landing before him and gazing upon his damaged form with newfound respect, and approached silently.

_So now, Kurosaki Ichigo… What will you do?_

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"Yo," said Ichigo as his Hollow's eyes opened up and glared at him, "Need help?"

"No…" the demon spat blood at Ichigo's foot and struggled up, only to stumble again, "I don't need your help, and never will!" His left hand shot up and attempted to slam into Ichigo's face, but he simply grabbed the arm and held it in position, the strength in the Hollow evidently gone.

"What…" muttered the Hollow, "What is it that you want?"

"To let you know," replied Ichigo simply, "That I know who you are, and why you do what you do, and that I respect you and now see that you're not my enemy,"  
The Hollow glanced up and eyed Ichigo with caution. "Say what you want to, _King_, and don't beat about the bush!"

Ichigo held his negative self at an arms' length and allowed his eyes to bore into his, the fragments of his soul staring each other down…  
"I want to know who you really are," Ichigo stated, "So that I may better know myself, and make peace with you, brother,"

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_Zangetsu observed the two teenagers sit down and begin to talk, and share. He watched as they opened their lives up plainly to see, and shared their views of the world, their perspectives completely opposite of each other. They debated and argued, but maintained a friendly air. At times, it would seem as though violence was but a word away, but the two would quickly settle their differences._

_As they talked, they became more attuned to each other, and began to realise that they were more than two fragments of a soul that was Ichigo, but an Ichigo that could not be complete without the two of them uniting._

_Just as hot air needs cold to form a tornado of power, thus they needed each other to attain the power that they so desired. The power to destroy, the power to protect, and the power to protect others from being destroyed._

_Zangetsu smiled and waited. They had all the time in the world…_

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_Meanwhile, while Ichigo was caught up in his own world…_

A phone rang somewhere in a house in Japan. A slender teenage boy reached over and grabbed the receiver, jerking it up to his ear, annoyed.

"Hello?"

"Ishida-kun! This is Orihime! I'm so sorry for calling you this late, but I think Ichigo may be in trouble!"

"Orihime," replied a weary Ishida, "It's 3 in the morning, and Ichigo's at home, in bed, asleep. Can't you feel his reiatsu?"

"Well… Yes… But I just feel…"

"Orihime! Knowing Ichigo, he's doing fine. It's the middle of the school term and we have not heard from Soul Society, nor have there been any recent disturbances that we know about, so don't worry! Ichigo is always training to be stronger, and perhaps he trains so hard that he even trains in his sleep! But we must have faith in him, as we have always had faith in him!"

"You…" muttered Orihime, "You're right… I really should have more faith in Kurosaki-kun…"

"Good! Then if you don't mind, I'm going to do some training of my own. Goodnight, Orihime-chan," Ishida replaced the receiver and turned over on his bed, sleeping with a doll that he just made. "Dumb, Ichigo. He scares and worries people even while he sleeps!"

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Phew... quite a mouthful... Hope y'all enjoyed the (lengthy) story full of (conversation) action and adventure!

I promise that if you guys want the next chapter, I'll make their battle with Zangetsu mind-blowing. Please review and tell me my flaws, where I can improve, and what I should keep. I only wanna be a better writer... for O levels P

God bless y'all


	3. The SetUp

Well, I thought I'd write most of the background for the story here. I wrote most of what happened so far, and set everything up. For those who don't know Bleach, I've given the descriptions of the weapons used here. As for the characters themselves, you just imagine ppl you really really hate (or like) battling on an inverted building.

I set up the fight here, the actual battle is in the next chapter, which will come out soon. Enjoy ;)

P.S: Thanks to CO Raven(I think that's the name) for the comment. I was contemplating on 2 different scenarios and you just ruled the most boring one out for me. Thanks loads, it's heaps more fun to write a 2-on-1 than anything else P

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Zangetsu stood atop a pole that jutted out from the office building. The Old Man with black shoulder length hair and tinted square glasses was deep in thought as the clouds behind him floated horizontally. This was Ichigo's inner world, a city turned on it's side like a bad photograph.

Here was where it all began, where Ichigo first met him and started down his path to power. It was also here where he first met the Hollow within himself, whom he later learnt was really his repressed self given form. It was here where he learnt that Zangetsu, the Hollow, and Ichigo himself were but three parts of a single soul that was ultimately Ichigo. Zangetsu had willingly submitted himself to Ichigo, while the Hollow had not. In the end, Ichigo had befriended this Hollow and attempted to unite the three parts of his soul. Only then would his power be complete, and he could continue down the path of greatness together as a whole person.

_The fact that Ichigo is already so powerful with just me,_ thought Zangetsu with some amusement, _Is simply too astonishing to think that even with the Hollow, he has only just scratched the tip of his true power…_

Zangetsu broke from his thoughts to observe two distant figures in the distance, one dressed in a long-sleeved; ankle-length black coat with red lining that closed at his chest, while the other wore a similar wardrobe, the black now white and the red now black. Both were of a slender build and approximately 1.74 meters tall, the black one with orange hair and tanned skin, while the white one was albino with snow white hair. The albino, however, had black eyes with yellow pupils. This was the Hollow that resided within Ichigo, the teen in black.

"Ichigo," Zangetsu called out, "Have you finally made peace with yourself? Have you found your resolve?"

"You know," commented the man in white, "I'm beginning to get sick of him saying that. It's beginning to get repetitive,"  
"Yes, well, he _is_ Zangetsu," smiled the man in black, "What else can we expect?"

"I take that as a yes from the both of you," commented Zangetsu, a smirk on his face, "Are you ready to face me now, Ichigo?"

"You know," complained the albino, "I'm as much as Ichigo as Ichigo is me, you know. The least you could do is…"  
"Yes, we've found our resolve," Ichigo cut the demon off, earning him a very distasteful glare from the Hollow.

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Zangetsu smiled, and his cape billowed out, spreading above him from both sides, the dark material of his cape seeming to create a void of darkness behind him. From this darkness, two sharp winks saw the materialization of two swords.

_Come forth, Zangetsu!_  
An elegant cleaver 1.74 meters long, with no hilt, adornments or decorations, flew forth from the void. Its hilt was wrapped in a cloth that trailed out for some distance, able to wrap about the blade completely, effectively sheathing it.

_Out of the darkness, Tensa Zangetsu!_  
An enlongated version of the Japanese katana, a daito, darted out of the darkness as well. It's slender black blade of 24 inches gleaming with an unholy aura, its hilt like that of an ordinary Japanese sword. A broken chain hung from the tip of the hilt.

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Both swords flew forth and the two combatants caught them, trying them out and testing the balance, of which they knew would be perfect for them.  
"No fair!" called out the Hollow in white as he spun the cleaver, "Why don't I get Tensa Zangetsu?"

"You may switch swords anytime you want to during the battle. You may also work in any style you prefer, just as long as you can defeat me," Zangetsu coolly replied, replicas of the two blades appearing in his hands. The cleaver Zangetsu in his right, the daito Tensa Zangetsu in his left. The Old Man spun both swords and called out, "Are you ready?"

Both combatants readied their swords and faced down Zangetsu.

"Here I come!"


	4. The Clash: Prelude

The Old Man Zangetsu leapt forward and bore down on Ichigo first, his two blades flashing in his hands. Ichigo calmly stepped to his right, slashing upwards with his daito as he did so. The daito met the Old Man's cleaver, and both blades locked with a thunderous clap, the area shuddering with the force of impact. Interestingly, both combatants were not straining themselves at all, and had hardly begun to use their power.

"Here I come!" called out the Hollow from their left as he flew into the air, slashing the air feverishly, sending a multitude of black crescent-shaped blasts of reiatsu at the two. Zangetsu raised one eye-brow in amusement.

"Repetitive use of Getsuga Tenshou?" he commented lightly as Ichigo spun beneath him and slashed, breaking their lock and sending Zangetsu flying out to meet the blasts.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" Ichigo called out as he slashed upwards, attempting to trap Zangetsu in a sphere of black reiatsu blasts. Zangetsu calmly spun in the air, his blades whirling about him, each swipe accented by a Getsuga Tenshou that came forth, dissipating the blasts that came at him. Oddly, all his blasts were red, different from the traditional black or white that came with the blast. The albino demon closed in and slashed at Zangetsu, who blocked calmly with his right cleaver and sent his left daito screaming at his face, the red reiatsu of a Getsuga Tenshou threatening the Hollow. The Hollow tilted his head back and allowed the blade to sweep past him, and continued with the motion, kicking at the Old Man and flipping backwards in the air.

"Ichigo!" the Hollow called out to his partner as he landed back on the building, "You suck at using the Getsuga Tenshou properly! Pass me Tensa Zangetsu, and let me show you how to use it!" The Hollow threw his cleaver at Ichigo, who threw his daito back at him without hesitation. Both partners caught each other's blades and smiled.

"Watch!" cried out the demon gleefully, "Getsuga Tenshou!" The demon leapt up and slashed at Zangetsu casually, a blast of white reiatsu sailing forth. The Old Man hovered in the air and huffed, disappearing and reappearing in-front of the Hollow, dodging the attack completely and ready to slash at his…

The Hollow smiled. The Old Man had appeared exactly where he wanted him to, and his face was now in his left hand.

"Die!" The Hollow thrust his left arm forward, a white light building in his palm. With a decisive push he released the reiatsu and sent Zangetsu flying over the building, slashing fanatically with his daito as he did so, sending a multitude of Getsuga Tenshou blasts after him. Ichigo slashed and fired off another Getsuga Tenshou, and the crescent blast hurled at the fast approaching form of the enemy.

Just before the blast could contact with his body, Zangetsu disappeared and reappeared in-front of Ichigo, who quickly raised his cleaver to meet the onslaught of attacks. Zangetsu spun his blades in a complex pattern and Ichigo barely blocked his attacks, the speed of Zangetsu being five times faster than he recalled when he was training to achieve bankai.

Behind them, Ichigo's blast met the Hollow's barrage of attacks, the white reiatsu bolts negating each other and dissipating into the air.

"Stop reacting!" Zangetsu called out casually, still attempting to dice Ichigo, "Start acting!"

"Kinda tough to do," growled Ichigo, blocking an attack from his left, "When you're moving so fast!" Ichigo began to pour his reiatsu into his blade, the grey cleaver now glowing with a silver hue. His eyebrows rose, and Zangetsu copied Ichigo, his own blades glowing with a golden hue. Now, every clash between the blades saw a firework display, every glancing blow a multi-coloured after-image. Ichigo redoubled his efforts and began to attack, blocking and counter-attacking with increasing speed, his mind now finally focusing on the battle.

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"You came at him too quickly, Zangetsu!" laughed the Hollow as he stood at the side, "He's only just begun to fight!"

"Shouldn't you be worried about yourself?" asked Zangetsu _behind_ the Hollow. The demon started and spun, his sword raised and blocking the blow that came. The Hollow growled and sliced to the side, breaking the lock and leaping backwards. He leapt forward and began a random series of slashes and thrusts, aimed at confusing the opponent.

The opponent, however, was not put off and twirled his blades in-front of him, trapping the daito in their grip. Zangetsu smiled and slammed all three blades into the ground, lodging them into the building. Relinquishing his hold on his own weapons, Zangetsu spun and his heel caught the temple of the Hollow and sent him to the ground, where he promptly rolled to his feet and leapt forth, his hands outstretched to strangle the Old Man. The Old Man Zangetsu lashed out with his right hand and caught the Hollow's throat in an iron grip.

"Do not forget," Zangetsu commented casually as the Hollow clawed futilely at his hand, "That I too hold immense power in this world. Nothing is beyond me!"

The Old Man's eyes widened as the Hollow disappeared in his hands, his image liquefying and flowing into the air, disappearing into nothingness. He whirled around at the sound of a blade being unsheathed, and saw the Hollow withdraw two daitos from the ground, the white in his left and Zangetsu's black in his left.

"_Two_ Tensa Zangetsu!" the demon cackled, "_Two_! This just gets better and better!" The demon spun and slashed with his blades fanatically yet again, each slash in the air saw the materialised Getsuga Tenshou. Zangetsu continued staring at the barrage of blows that came, and raised no defence.

"Very impressive," he commented lightly, and flash-stepped to the silver cleaver still lodged in the ground, dodging the blow and stepping in front of the Hollow, "Unfortunately, you've forgotten the rules of the game. You and Ichigo are supposed to work together to beat me. Where is your partner now?"

"If he's too weak to hold his own," replied the demon with a dismissive wave, "Then he is not fit to rule!"

The Old Man chose not to reply, and drew the cleaver from the ground and slammed it into the demon's gut in one smooth motion. The Hollow, his defence briefly down, staggered and attempted to catch his breath, but Zangetsu spun and his hand chopped at the demon's throat, sending the Hollow flying back on to another building.

"I honestly hope," Zangetsu said casually as he followed the dual-wielding demon, "That your partner is alright,"

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"Your swordplay is as sluggish as it was before, Ichigo!" Zangetsu commented, his blades a flurry of slashes and thrusts, "You really should work to keep up!"

"Quiet!" Ichigo gave a swipe with his cleaver and sent a blast of reiatsu flying forth, forcing Zangetsu back. Behind him, he felt the battle between the Hollow continue with Zangetsu's clone. "You know, cloning really isn't fair, you shouldn't have done that,"

"This is a battle, Ichigo. Whatever power I have, I will call into play, just to defeat the two of you," Zangetsu replied, his blades still flying around him. _Flying?!_

With a start, Ichigo realised that Zangetsu had been controlling his weapons using only his mind, his hands and feet striking with the cleaver and daito he wielded. _No wonder he was striking so quickly! No wonder his speed increased!_ thought Ichigo. He smiled and chuckled.

"Zangetsu!" he called out to the Old Man, "You're using 6 weapons against me. Your hands, feet, and blades, and yet I'm still here! If you really want to make this a training session, hit me with all you've got!" Zangetsu smiled, remembering their Bankai training session.

"As you wish!"

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"Wha…?!" the Hollow jerked around in surprise. He stood in complete darkness, and an oppressive silence seemed to strangle him. He felt the presence of Ichigo behind him, his back faced towards him, but decided not to say anything and let the idiot figure out for himself what was going on.

"Zangetsu!" his useless other-half cried out, "Where are you? How are we supposed to fight you…"

"When you can't see me?" asked Zangetsu, his voice a choir of unimaginable proportions. Lights began to flicker around the duo and with a horrible twist in his stomach; Ichigo realized the darkness that surrounded them wasn't darkness at all! It was Zangetsu, millions of them, clustered together in the shape of a dome about them! Their capes drawn so close together it effectively formed a curtain of darkness about them, power radiating from the darkness.

"Ichigo," Zangetsu continued coolly. Or more, the nation of Zangetsu called out coolly, "Since you and your Hollow-self will not work together to take me on in a 2-on-1 battle, then I will force the two of you to work together!"

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"This sucks," muttered the Hollow, turning to Ichigo, "Notice where the lights are coming from?"

Ichigo spun around, rapidly glancing about him, and colour drained from his face. They were illuminated by hundreds upon hundreds of swords, each one in the hand of Zangetsu, their hands gripping the swords and twitching ever so slightly, itching for battle. The swords glowed with a silver hue, and it was evident from the power that radiated forth that each Zangetsu was pouring his reiatsu into the blade.

The sword that each Zangetsu wielded was very much like a nodachi, the blade being long and seemed to be built for open cavalry warfare. However, the design of the blade as well as the grip simply labelled it as an extra long katana.

"Not that it matters… All that matters is that it can cut…" Ichigo muttered.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing," Ichigo shook himself from his thoughts and looked over at the Hollow, "How the heck did you manage to get two Tensa Zangetsu blades in your hands?!"

The Hollow smiled, "Long story…"

"Here we come!" the multitude of Old Man Zangetsu flew at the albino Hollow and the teenage Shinigami substitute, and the duo raised their blades to meet the challenge.


	5. The Clash: Crescendo

_**Author's Note:  
**_** Hey guys, I'm soooo sorry for taking so long with the recent chapter. I had to study for my O levels and didn't have much time to do it up. Here's the continuation of his training. If you guys have any comments on how I can improve the story or descriptions, don't hesitate to let me know, and I'll see what I can do.**

**Also, this chapter may seem slip-shod but I spent 5 hours working on it, cracking my head on how the heck Ichigo and his Hollow were supposed to defeat THAT many Zangetsu... I've been making this up as I went along since the 2nd Chapter anyways LOL... So, I hope you enjoy. I believe the next chapter will be the last one with fighting, then the one after that will be the concluding chapter. Have to figure out a way to close this thing... So, enjoy smiley **

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"Tsk," the Hollow smirked and twirled his twin daitos about him and became a tornado of blades, the swarm of Zangetsu about him charging forth only to be diced into pieces. The Hollow ended his attack and leapt into the air, releasing his two blades and grabbing their chains, spinning the blades furiously, causing wind to pick up speed about him. Cackling, the demon arced his fall and landed in the midst of several Zangetsu and proceeded to allow his twin death-blades to do their work, cutting neatly into the flesh of the enemy and leaving the body little more than an empty shell. The more death he caused, the more power the Hollow seemed to gain, his manic laughter rising in pitch and his eyes glowing with joy. Indeed, the corpses of the men he killed began to disintegrate and dissolve into black shards of reiatsu and poured into the Hollow. Finally, the Hollow released his left daito and sent it spinning into a group of Zangetsu a little way off, just to buy him sometime to check on his partner.

"Ichigo!" the Hollow called out as he spun his remaining daito in his right hand and stabbed it backwards into the Zangetsu behind him, "Tired yet?"

"You wish!" Ichigo muttered as he swung his cleaver side to side, each slash sending forth a Getsuga Tenshou that shattered at least three Zangetsu. Not that it mattered, their numbers were overwhelming and with the over-sized katanas they were wielding, it was impossible for Ichigo and his Hollow to defeat them, only to hold them off. They had been fighting for hours on end without rest, and this had to end. Soon.

Ichigo's right foot lashed out behind him, catching the face of Zangetsu, and leapt off, reversing his grip on his blade and causing the elegant blade to follow the shape of his body, itself becoming a cacoon of silver light coving Ichigo as he spun rapidly in the air, his cleaver glowing with an eerie silver hue as it gained reiatsu. The light grew brighter and brighter as Ichigo's spin picked up speed, and the Hollow below turned and looked up in amusement, beginning to understand what Ichigo was trying to do. He was becoming a nexus of reiatsu, a super-absorber of energy, drawing all power to himself. It was one of the few techniques that they had devised while training to battle Zangetsu.

Ichigo cried out, his eyes burning with a silver power, reiatsu pumping through his veins and blasted forth, begging to be released to cause the destruction it was destined to wraught. The Hollow slashed at a Zangetsu and leapt into the air, following Ichigo's attack and spinning as well, doubling the power of the attack with his blade, Tensa Zangetsu in his hand, his own white reiatsu pouring from his blade. The two ovals of white spun in synchrony and continued to draw in reiatsu, the swarm of Zangetsu being drawn in as well from the sheer force of the vacuum of power that was Ichigo and his Hollow. The two ovals spun quickly and soon, it appeared to be one pure circle of white light, the only hints of the two partners within being the currents of reiatsu if you looked closely.

Energy built and cackled, lightning spurting out from the dance of the two blobs of light that were now one, striking a Zangetsu each time and causing the enemy to blow up into shards of dark reiatsu, only to be absorbed by the power that was Ichigo and his Hollow. The power continued to build and increase, the electric buzz in the air now rising to a shrill whistle, the wind spinning about them, becoming a cyclone. The turbulences caused by the force of the attack drew every Zangetsu close to the two dancing lights, where their bodies were scorched from the sheer, unadulterated power radiating from it.

"GETSUGA!" with a single attack, Ichigo and his Hollow combined. With a single strike, Ichigo and the Hollow were one. They were unstoppable. "TENSHOU!"

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"_They are powerful indeed," muttered Zangetsu several miles away as what was no more than a nuclear explosion of reiatsu went off. "Perhaps they've finally learnt to tap into my power… But that is not the point of this exercise, is it?". The dust settled, and only the two combatants, the black and the white, where left standing in the midst of the debris. Nothing was left but for the pathetic platform they stood on, held up by a single pillar of stone._

"_Yes," Zangetsu mused, "I do believe it is time for them to tap into _their_ own power,"_

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"ARGH!" Ichigo fell backwards and landed on his back, the cleaver falling from his lifeless fingers, numb from the physical exertion. "That was close…"

The Hollow turned and glared over his shoulder down at Ichigo, "Buck up, you wimp. The battle has only just started!"

"WHAT?!" Ichigo bolted upright and stared unbelieving at the Hollow, "Are you serious? What are we supposed to do now?" His reply was silence as the Hollow ignored him and turned to face the distance figure.

"Ichigo, Hollow!" Zangetsu called out from afar as his figure slowly drifted over, his feet never touching the ground, "Very well done. I couldn't have done it better myself. With that many of my duplicates, I expected the two of you to crumble under them. Especially since I removed most of the power in your blades before the battle itself..."

"What?" Ichigo was taken aback, "You mean, you actually cheated?!"

"Now, Ichigo," chided the Hollow, "Don't tell me you didn't notice it got harder to fire off a Getsuga Tenshou after that swarm showed up, did you?"

"Enough!" Zangetsu snapped his fingers and caused Ichigo and his Hollow's weapons to disappear into nothingness, "Ichigo, Hollow, I applaud you in that warm-up exercise. Now, the true battle begins!" Zangetsu began to rise in the air, his cape bellowing out behind him and growing in size, and his own black reiatsu a swirling vortex beneath him. With a cry, tentacles of darkness exploded forth from the vortex and climbed upwards, licking the air and seeming to emit a hissing sound. "This is my true power!" Zangetsu called out, his voice magnified by a hundred-fold and causing the platform beneath them to tremble at it's sheer might, "You were still wielding some of my power before, but now, I take my powers back. Let's see if you can defeat me by yourself!".

Ichigo stared at the massive figure of power that lay before him now, Zangetsu in all his might and glory. The dark reiatsu his crown, his tendrils his cape of authority. Like a slap across the face, Ichigo came to the sickening realization that he simply could not win against such a foe. Here, Zangetsu was king...

"Snap out of it, fool!" Ichigo awoke from his shock and turned to see the Hollow already charging up with white reiatsu, his yellow eyes locked on his enemy, his obstacle, "If you wanna gain full power, this is the way to go! So quit standing there and start fighting!" The last word was punctuated as Zangetsu swiped at them with one of his massive tentacles, and Ichigo leapt into the air in time, barely avoiding the blow. The Hollow, however, had different plans. He latched onto the tentacle as it struck and followed it's arc into the air, determined to hold on no matter what. Even if it meant being crashed into several buildings.

"NO!" Ichigo cried out at the sight of the Hollow disappearing into the distance, the tentacle rising further and further out of reach. "Damnit..." Ichigo's fists clenched and unclenched, his own blue reiatsu beginning to form about him, even as Zangetsu sent several tentacles in his direction, eager to pierce his flesh.

"Damn all of this! DAMN IT ALL!" With a final cry, Ichigo's power was brought full force, and a nimbus of blue reiatsu covered him and burnt the attacking tendrils, the sheer force of the blast sending Zangetsu away by a short distance. The nimbus of blue reiatsu continued to build and grow, increasing in size and might as it began to push downwards, shattering the platform beneath Ichigo and destroying it completely. But even then Ichigo remained level, his nimbus of reiatsu holding him up in the middle of the air as power continued to flow from him, pouring forth from the reservoirs of reiatsu within himself. Reservoirs untapped till now.

"This ends now!" Ichigo glared up at the dark figure of Zangetsu, his eyes burning with a brilliant blue colour, the fire in his soul and heart growing, "ZANGETSU!"


	6. The Clash: Finale

**Author's Note:**

**I'm so sorry for the delay in this story. Frankly, I was fresh out of ideas and this one was written in a moment of inspiration, so I still consider this chapter a work in progress. This doesn't have the "Final Battle" feel I wanted, and to me, it felt a little bit lame. So, this is what I wanna try and do:**

**Drop a comment and speak out as to what scenes you'd like to see in this story. Who knows? Maybe with abit of refining, everyone's suggestion can be integrated into this story.**

** I know the ending is kinda lame, and the fight descriptions are fairly disappointing... Well, that's how I felt anyways. So, I won't be working on the next chapter, but rather I'll be working on this chapter itself. Cos I think everyone pretty much has an idea of how I wanna conclude this thing huh 0...smiles...0**

** So, I beg you, PLEASE comment and lemme know what you liked about this, and what you thought can be improved on (a.k.a: Not so great)**

God bless, enjoy! 

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"Brute strength should not win this," Zangetsu muttered as he withdrew his tendrils and landed on a building before Ichigo, his own dark reiatsu building from within, preparing for the onslaught to come, "Ichigo… Please, learn to harness that power of yours,"

Ichigo could not hear the old man, and the blue nimbus about him continued to burn brighter and brighter, as if he were unable to control his reiatsu output. But really, the naked eye was so deceiving. Smiling, Ichigo raised a balled fist, and opened it, shattering the nimbus of blue reiatsu about him, sending shards flying outwards and hurtling at Zangetsu, who raised an eyebrow in amusement, hiding the joy that blossomed within.

"Ichigo!" Zangetsu called out after swiping away the shards, "Do you now understand how to control your power?"

"Yes," Ichigo replied grimly, "Why is it I only discover the technique when pushed to the limit?"

"Because it is how you are!" laughed Zangetsu, "Now, we may begin the true test! Use your newfound power against me, Ichigo, with your Hollow, and attempt to defeat me!"

0…0…0…0…0…0…0

The Hollow groaned, shaking his head to clear the disorientation. Zangetsu had smashed him into a building and neglected to thrust him all the way through, leaving him in a heap of rubble. With an annoyed wave, the Hollow batted aside several chunks of cement and heavy pipes that lay on top of him. He took a moment to catch his breath, cursing himself for being so hasty in his attack.

"Maybe that punk has rubbed off some of his stupidity off me," smiled the Hollow. The smiled quickly turned into a frown as he sensed the sudden increase in reiatsu levels, "Hmmmm? He has learnt to control his reiatsu? But how… And in such a short span of time…"

"Perhaps I should've expected it," growled the Hollow as he shifted his weight between the balls of his feet, "He has an annoying habit of learning quickly at the last minute…" With a grunt, the Hollow kicked off the building and zoomed into the distance, joining the battle of souls.

0…0…0…0…0…0…0

"Getsuga…"

"Tenshou!" Zangetsu completed the attack the same time Ichigo did, and a black reiatsu met blue as the two souls did battle. The blasts met and shattered the air, causing the two combatants to separate for a brief moment before they joined battle again. Ichigo launched a roundhouse kick, but Zangetsu reached up at grabbed him, spinning and tossing Ichigo about. Just as he released Ichigo, the shinigami reached down with his hand and grabbed hold of Zangetsu's arm, shocking the incarnated zanpakuto. Ichigo took advantage of his momentum and hurled Zangetsu outwards, who let out a blast of reiatsu to halt his decent. Ichigo wasted no time and flash-stepped in front of Zangetsu punching at his solar plexus and throwing an upper-cut at his chin. Zangetsu spun, dodging the blows, and chopped at Ichigo's neck, who flipped forward to avoid the blow. Zangetsu let out a bark of laughter and used his other hand to strike at Ichigo's exposed torso, his palm glowing with a black reiatsu as Ichigo now hung upside-down, defenseless.

"Getsuga Tensh-" Zangetsu never completed his attack as the Hollow appeared at his side, slamming his elbow at his chin. Laughing, the Hollow spun and raised his left leg, bringing it slicing down at Zangetsu's head, which sent the old man rocketing downwards, as he cratered into a building, sending a cloud of dust up, effectively cloaking his location. Meanwhile, Ichigo finished his flip and looked sheepishly at the Hollow. "Thanks for that,"

0…0…0…0…0…0…0

The Hollow grunted in reply and jabbed both his arms downwards, crying out, "Getsuga Tenshou!", and two pillars of white reiatsu exploded from his fingertips, blasting towards the building Zangetsu had landed in, piercing through the cloud of dust. A dark figure flew up from the clouds and weaved its way through the two pillars of light, the movement so elegant and strange that it seemed to tangle up the eyes of both Ichigo and his Hollow. Zangetsu appeared between the two souls and kicked out at both of them, doing a side-split in mid-air. Even so, the kick was strong and sent the two combatants flying in opposite directions, a trail of smoke from the dust cloud following them. Zangetsu now eyed the two trails with caution as they suddenly shifted course and moved towards him in a curious pincer movement. Ichigo arced toward his front, while the Hollow curved to his rear, both rocketing at high speeds, their reiatsu building and burning, their intensity and ferocity increasing with each second.

The blue and white streaks of reiatsu that were Ichigo and the Hollow suddenly shifted course and began to circle about Zangetsu, whose eyes their movements closely. The two raced about the lone Zangetsu faster, their forms barely recognizable, shifting to a blur, and finally ceasing to exist altogether, streaks of blue and white coloring a circumference about Zangetsu, who huffed and released his own black reiatsu, causing it to fly forth and stretch outwards, a tinge of red hanging in the midst of the darkness. The black reiatsu eventually grew and pushed against the blue and white reiatsu ring, and the struggle for power began. Lightning of every color and shade shot forth from the border between the rings of reiatsu, lashing out like tongues of fire at the nearby buildings, each lick shattering windows and crumbling the metal within. The rings became one, forming a disc of immeasurable power, the battle raging on from within, as Zangetsu combated against the two souls. Eventually, a tug began on both sides of the disc, pushing upwards and outwards, until a sphere of pure untamed reiatsu formed in the air, hovering above the buildings amongst the clouds. Colors of every hue and shade played across the surface, symbolizing the battle within as the three did battle.

0…0…0…0…0…0…0

_Within the sphere of darkness, a battle raged on._

Zangetsu kicked out with his left leg, a strike that was deftly dodged by Ichigo, swinging around and bringing his own arm swinging at the head of Zangetsu. The Hollow also lashed out with his own fist, and Zangetsu dropped down, causing both Ichigo and his Hollow's attacks to meet with a thunderclap in the air, sending a shockwave throughout the sphere of power. Ichigo and his Hollow now danced in synchrony, their attacks complementing and building on one another. When Zangetsu dodged Ichigo, the Hollow was waiting. When he leapt above the Hollow, he met Ichigo. Anywhere he moved, his exits were blocked by the two unstoppable opponents. The battle concluded thusly:

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Ichigo chopped his hand downwards, releasing a Getsuga Tenshou at Zangetsu, who spun and dodged the blow. The Hollow moved forward and intercepted the Old Man with a kick to his back and left Zangetsu suspended in the air for a moment, the wind knocked out of him. Taking advantage of the pause in battle, Ichigo struck out with his fist, while the Hollow swung around and threw another kick at Zangetsu. Both attacks connected with Zangetsu's torso and sent the Old Man flying backwards and out of the sphere. A trail of reiatsu followed Zangetsu out as he bulleted out of the sphere, shattering the nimbus of reiatsu and leaving Ichigo and his Hollow standing on thin air. Zangetsu's fall carried him far over buildings, his arc never seeming to end. He connected with several buildings of course… Once, twice… And then he stopped, crashing through one building and burying into another. Both crumbled under the might of impact, and dust blew up and soared to the heavens. There was a silence, the battle was over.


	7. The End

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**I was watching a Sephiroth fight the other day and thought, "Hey, didn't I have to end that Ichigo story I was doing?" And so I thought I'd end it with a bang, by having Ichigo use a new move that he and his Hollow had devised. The name of the technique was to be the Hollow's name, but since I can't think of a name, I'll let you fill in the blank (smile).**

**I'm sorry I took so long to reply but I kinda hit a block, ran out of things to write, ran out of things to say... But this is the most intense piece of work I've ever attempted to do, so I hope y'all like it**

**Thanks to all those who bugged me to update this story, but alas, this is the end... So, here we go! Oh yeah, and check out the concluding note I put at the end. God bless y'all!**

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"Shit," the Hollow spat as they stood over the crater.

"What is it? We won!" Ichigo turned to his negative self, puzzled.

"Are you deaf? That's the Sephiroth theme playing in the background… This is bad…"

The building shook and Zangetsu blasted out of the building, smoke trailing behind him. In his right hand he once again gripped Tensa Zangetsu and in his left he bore the cleaver Zangetsu. In the air Zangetsu spun and red reiatsu blasted forth from his two swords, screaming towards Ichigo and his Hollow, who both leapt out of the way from the blast, landing on opposite ends of the building. The red streaks cratered into the building and shattered all the windows, the shards flying into the air and up towards Zangetsu, whose blades now burned with a crimson flame. The Hollow growled and stretched out his hand, and with his reiatsu he formed a white daito similar to Tensa Zangetsu, the chain slightly longer to cater to his preferred fighting style. Ichigo stretched forth both his hands in gripped the hilt of his own blue daito, also similar to Tensa Zangetsu, formed by his own reiatsu, the blade slightly elongated to give him a larger range.

Both combatants unleashed their own slashes of reiatsu at Zangetsu and rocketed into the air alongside the blasts, preparing to meet Zangetsu in the air. Ichigo powered through the flying debris, his reiatsu forming a shield in front of him, pushing all the glass shards aside. The Hollow leapt and stepped on the debris as though they were a staircase, moving so quickly he looked as if he was soaring upwards solely by kicking his legs, the shards of glass he stepped on sometimes too small for the eye to see.

Zangetsu swept his daito in an arc, dissipating the two blasts, releasing the sword and sending it jabbing through the air toward Ichigo, a slender comet of crimson reiatsu. He saw Ichigo raise his blade to meet the comet, which struck into him and powered them back down toward the building, then turned his attention to the Hollow and dashed forward to meet him, their blades connecting and sending an earth shattering pulse of reiatsu throughout the inner world. Zangetsu broke the lock and flourished the blade, causing the Hollow to block to the side by reflex. Zangetsu ducked beneath the Hollow's guard, delivering an uppercut with a crimson trail of reiatsu behind his cleaver.

The Hollow raised his left hand above the strike and released a pulse of white reiatsu, leaving the cleaver suspended in the air for a moment as the white energy held it in place, while the Hollow swung his right hand in a diagonal slash at Zangetsu. The Old Man relinquished his grip on the cleaver and spun to dodge the blow, his left hand coming around to strike at the Hollow's face, his right preparing to grab his cleaver.

The left hand was grabbed from behind by Ichigo, who had finally knocked aside Tensa Zangetsu and rushed in to join the fight. The right hand grabbed the cleaver and swung it at Ichigo, who flash-stepped out of the way, releasing Zangetsu's hand in the process. Hollow Ichigo brought his own blade down on Zangetsu , who flash-stepped forward and spun, his cleaver now burning crimson red with his own reiatsu. The Hollow flashed stepped above Zangetsu and they locked themselves in a flurry of blows, diagonal, vertical, horizontal slashes, feints and jabs from every direction. Parries and flourishes galore as Zangetsu and the Hollow attempted to confuse the other, flashes of white and red streaks of reiatsu coloring the air about them, becoming a nimbus. The sphere of power shifted in its' course slightly as Zangetsu and the Hollow flipped over, or ducked under each other, each one attempting to gain the advantage over the other, power fueling their every strike, sending sparks flying everywhere, causing currents of air to form and kicking up the wind about them.

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Ichigo stood beneath the aerial battle, but he was not merely observing the battle, rather, he was preparing to end it. While both combatants were releasing titanic amounts of reiatsu, Ichigo was on the side absorbing the energies, drawing it into his make-shift sword of blue reiatsu, the blue building to a blinding white. Streaks of white and red separated themselves from the clash of powers and flew into the super absorber of energy that was Ichigo.

"Hollow!" Ichigo finally called out, "I'm ready!"

"About time," growled the Hollow as he sent a final barrage of strikes at Zangetsu before pushing himself away from the Old Man, towards Ichigo. As the Hollow fell, his figure began to glow, the distinctive features becoming a blur at first, eventually fading into nothing as the Hollow became pure energy, and began to fly about Ichigo, streaks of white curling both around the blade and about Ichigo, lashing out at the ground beneath and snapping at the air about them.

"Remember the technique, Ichigo!" said the Hollow's decapitated voice, "Call out my name, and unleash your full power!"

"The Hollow's name…?!" Zangetsu thought, outraged, "Even I don't know his name!"

0…0…0

Ichigo smiled at the look on Zangetsu's face, "Shall I explain the technique to you beforehand, Old Man?"

"Ichigo's reiatsu is concentrated into whatever weapon he's carrying, causing it to burn bright blue, so bright that it appears to be silver," the decapitated voice of the Hollow explained for Ichigo, "Meanwhile, my own energies will swirl about him, cutting and destroying anything that dares to venture close,"

"The energies can be compressed into any form that I deem fit," smiled Ichigo, "And can even be used as projectiles, or a shield, if I require it. But the key is in the final strike!" With that, Ichigo kicked off the ground and flew towards Zangetsu, the white reiatsu lingering on the ground for a moment before torpedoing upwards like pillars about Ichigo. With a huff, Zangetsu threw his cleaver into the air and it spun about him, dissolving as well into a swirling red cloud of reiatsu, a harmless looking cloud of crimson surrounding him. Zangetsu raised his right hand and recalled Tensa Zangetsu back to him, the daito screaming towards him from a distance, itself still glowing with a red hue. All the while, Ichigo drew closer, and Zangetsu's palm began to glow with a maroon hue.

Zangetsu reached out, grabbed Tensa Zangetsu, and sent his own reiatsu powering into the blade, transforming it into a roaring inferno of crimson reiatsu. Ichigo continued to charge at Zangetsu, his own blade blazing with a royal blue. Zangetsu raised his blade and brought it crashing down, calmly reciting, "Getsuga Tenshou!"

Ichigo roared, "Kai! 0.0.0.0.0.0!"

"I can't hear his name…?" wondered Zangetsu.

And both blades met with a thunderclap.

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The resulting blast was so powerful that buildings about them dissipated into dust, the air was parted and tossed aside like a tangible object. Nothing was left in that void except Zangetsu, Ichigo, and their unbelievably powerful reiatsu clash, the blue and red blades forcing one another back, neither seeming to make progress, raw power making it near impossible to tell which would win. Around the two combatants, red and white streaks of reiatsu swirled and hissed, cackled and spit, as the Hollow's energy faced off against Zangetsu's own power. At times, blades would form in the air and invisible warriors would do battle, other times, lightning simply struck out and lashed at either combatant, only to be blocked by that combatant's own defenses.

Ichigo and Zangetsu continued to glare at each other past their blades, their eyes locking along with their wills, also locked in an endless struggle as neither was willing to give any ground at all, each warrior unlocking the deepest reservoirs of their souls and pouring all their energy into the battle. Current of reiatsu summoned the winds back towards them and tossed them about through the air, and yet neither one was ready to relinquish their grip on their swords, nor willing to break the lock. The swirling wind and hurricane of reiatsu caused a thunderous roar of the elements to emit from the battle, deafening to anything should they have ventured into Ichigo's inner world at that time.

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Zangetsu looked into the eyes of Ichigo, and smiled. In Ichigo's eyes, he saw a peace in his soul, a quiet understanding of who he was and what he was composed off. Yet, at the same time, that same dogged determination to protect his friends, and in the process gaining more power in order to protect them, and vice versa. Ichigo, Zangetsu, his Hollow, all three were part of Ichigo, and they would all be part of his power. Ichigo had been relying too much on Zangetsu's power, and through this battle he'd learnt to rely on his own strength, and to draw aid from the Hollow's own power as well when necessary.

"See you around, king," spat the arrogant voice of the Hollow, causing Ichigo to lose focus for a moment as he wondered what the Hollow was on about. His sword flickered and Zangetsu gained ground briefly, but Ichigo focused again and brought his blade down even stronger, intent on winning.

"Ichigo! You've done well, and have completed your training!" Zangetsu finally called out over the thunderous roar of the currents of reiatsu, smiling as he saw Ichigo's face shifted from one of puzzlement into one of utter bewilderment. "You've learnt to harness all aspects of your power… Now… Rest, Kurosaki Ichigo!"

0…0…0

There was a final roar, and then there was no longer any light, no longer any sound. Where the three souls were, there was now air, and where there had been a titanic battle of reiatsu, there was now stillness. The buildings rebuilt themselves, the clouds righted themselves, and the air fell back into the once occupied space. It was over, and Ichigo's inner world was right again.

Yet, somewhere in the distance, the clash of blades could be heard all over again…

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**CONCLUDING NOTE:**

**And that's the end! Hope y'all enjoyed the journey as much as I did. I was wondering what else I should write about so do drop a comment on what characters you'd like to see me write on and perhaps give me a possible story you'd like to see up there. Or better yet, write your own story and ask me to read it (smiles)**

**Thanks for posting comments, giving suggestions, and giving encouragement for me to continue writing this story, and err... Stuff like that. Yeap, hope y'all liked the story, see ya! God bless y'all**


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